After hearing from Primus about Lucius' movements, many things happened.

  Seneca, Kito, Maiol, and Attalos convened a meeting to expin the situation, and Attalos took the time to teach the basics of various techniques.

  Maiol met with Primus a few times, seeking advice on her skills. Since the meeting was outdoors, Primus appeared in his Grey form.

  Seneca and Maiol reyed everything about Lucius to Gaia and Prautia.

  Their reactions were mixed, but both were shocked by the delicate news of the birth of a new saint.

  Though Seneca had forgotten in the midst of it all, the school term was ending.

  Seneca was nervous about her evaluation, but the results weren’t as bad as she feared. The fruits of her daily efforts seemed to have paid off, so the four of them treated themselves to a slightly extravagant meal to celebrate.

  And so, the school entered its long vacation.

  Originally, they had pnned an adventure to search for Lucius, but since that journey was no longer necessary, the "Moonlight Vow" group decided to rethink their pns.

  Though only for two days, each of them decided to spend time apart, agreeing to reconvene ter for a more thorough discussion.

  ...

  Seneca was walking through the town.

  She had recently found a tea shop that had become her favourite. They served an astonishingly strong tea, to which she added a generous amount of honey.

  The serving was small, just two sips, but its rich taste and lingering sweetness had become an addictive habit. Whenever she had time to think, she found herself visiting this pce.

  After drinking the tea and letting her mind wander for a while, Seneca started walking through the town once more.

  Her thoughts, however, always turned to Lucius.

  After hearing Primus' words, Seneca's desire to protect Lucius from the world had grown stronger.

  Until now, she had only imagined the bleak future, but from the way Primus spoke, it seemed that Seneca's concerns were not entirely unfounded.

  The thought of Lucius being cornered one day stirred something in her chest.

  Even in the direst circumstances, Seneca always questioned whether she would be needed by him. She had often imagined the denial that she would not be wanted.

  But even as she thought about it now, Seneca knew it was pointless. In the end, those were just fantasies, not facts. She could think about it in any way she wanted—either optimistically or tragically. So, though it might be an escape from reality, Seneca had decided once again that she had to focus on doing what needed to be done in the present.

  And what was it that she should do now?

  Seneca had always thought that becoming stronger was the key.

  She knew that strength was not just about physical power, so she had worked hard in various areas.

  However, she had begun to realise that the kind of strength Lucius would need when he was in danger was far broader and more complex than she had imagined.

  Because, even if the entire world turned against Lucius, Seneca wanted to be the shield that protected him.

  She knew this was an unrealistic wish, but the strong desire to make it happen welled up inside her.

  Seneca understood that there was likely no shortcut to gaining such strength. In fact, perhaps it would require walking a more roundabout path to develop a more versatile kind of "strength."

  As she continued to think, Seneca found herself at the gates of the royal capital before she realised it. She had been to the royal capital’s forest so often that her feet had unconsciously taken her there.

  Deciding it was an opportunity, Seneca decided to go into the royal forest. If she stayed near the edge, there would be adventurer guards, so there would be no need for heightened caution.

  As she walked towards the forest, the word "comprehensive strength" popped into her head.

  "Right. What’s needed is comprehensive strength."

  With that thought, Seneca pushed off the ground with a little more force, moving forward.

  ...

  Since Attalos had mentioned it, Seneca had often pondered the concept of "new strength."

  The more she thought about it, the more she found herself confused. She had repeatedly tried to grasp the meaning of the words.

  "New" meant something that had only just been created.

  "Strength" meant something that was unshakable.

  So, perhaps "new strength" could be rephrased as "newly created unshakability."

  No… In her case, it felt like something that was still being created.

  Seneca couldn’t help but think that way.

  She had heard from Attalos that Eus' strength was something entirely unique. Apparently, he wielded a sword based on a value system that didn’t exist before, defeating numerous enemies.

  So what exactly had been created through Eus, and what was unshakable?

  "Wouldn’t it be great if I could just understand that?"

  Feeling a little sulky, Seneca kicked a small stone on the ground.

  As she watched the stone roll away, she remembered something Maiol had said to her.

  "I can’t quite put it into words, but I think Seneca’s strength is also a kind of unique strength."

  Maybe it was something faint.

  But if Seneca kept polishing it and adapting it to herself, perhaps, one day, an unshakable strength would emerge.

  Though she wasn’t sure exactly what it was, Seneca felt that the strength she sought would be found at the end of this quest.

  "To develop a new value system and polish the strength that’s being created right now."

  It was still too abstract, but Seneca had an inkling of the direction she needed to go in.

  And so, she found herself running towards the forest, her steps quickening.

  ...

  When Seneca arrived at the forest, she saw a girl with a rge hammer slung over her shoulder.

  "Nina."

  "…Seneca!"

  Nina’s small face widened her rge eyes as she looked at Seneca.

  "Seneca, what are you doing here? It’s rare for you to be on your own."

  "What about you, Nina? I had a free day and somehow ended up in the forest."

  "I see. …Wanna hunt together?"

  A slight smile pyed on Nina’s lips as she raised her hammer with one hand.

  "Hunt, huh?"

  Seneca drew her sword and, like Nina, raised it towards the sky.

  The two then entered the forest, hunting beasts and monsters. There were no particurly strong enemies, so while they remained cautious, they didn’t need to exert too much effort.

  During their weekly training sessions with Attalos, the two often sparred whenever there was time. Because of this, they had developed a good sense of each other’s movements, and their teamwork was strong.

  While Nina sucked the nectar from a flower, decring it her favourite, Seneca asked her a question.

  "Nina, what are you doing during the break?"

  "Sluuurp… Probably an expedition. I’m going to train with Fabius… Are you coming?"

  Nina handed Seneca a petal, and Seneca also took a sip. It wasn’t as sweet as she had expected, but the refreshing taste was still quite delightful.

  "Sluuurp… I see. We haven’t decided yet."

  "Hmmm… Are you coming with us for training? We’re leaving in three days, so you could let me know by then."

  "Well… That sounds interesting, but I think we need to take some requests as a party. We’ve been in the forest the whole time."

  "Ahh, I see."

  Nina looked a bit disappointed but went back to sipping the nectar.

  Squatting beside her, Seneca joined in, drinking the nectar herself.

  The two girls, showing good sense, stopped before they had consumed all of the flowers. After a bit more frolicking, they parted ways.

  ...

  Maiol was swinging her sword at the school’s training ground, her mind lightly occupied with thoughts.

  On the way back from meeting Primus at "Spelunka," she had noticed the change in Seneca and Kito’s eyes. After Primus had told them to refine themselves, the two of them had been sparked with determination.

  With the situation regarding Lucius becoming clearer, it seemed that they now had a better sense of the path they needed to take. From now on, Seneca and Kito’s progress would surely accelerate.

  Maiol was happy for them and inspired by their resolve. But at the same time, she felt conflicted. Was everything fine as it was?

  Currently, Seneca’s combat ability outcssed everyone else in the party. Although Maiol pnned to catch up, the gap was undeniable.

  If they continued at this pace, Maiol feared she might drag Seneca down in the future.

  Recently, Seneca’s enthusiasm for training had rubbed off on Gaia and Prautia, sparking their passion for practice as well. Maiol had begun to feel a strong sense that in this party, they would all become much stronger together.

  Maiol didn’t want to hold Seneca back, but she also wanted the party to grow stronger together. This was the feeling that she had.

  After swinging her sword repeatedly and thinking about it, Maiol realised that continuing to ponder on her own wouldn’t help.

  "I’ll talk to someone. That’s what I’ll do."

  With that decision, Maiol swung her broadsword, feeling it cut through the air with impressive ease.

  Her improvement with the sword since coming to the school had been remarkable.

  ...

  That evening, Maiol called Seneca to the woods near the dormitory.

  "Seneca, there’s something I wanted to ask you before we talk as a party."

  "About the break?"

  "Yeah. I was wondering what you think about it. It seems like right now, we need to fight recklessly to grow stronger, but I also think it’s important for us to build the overall strength of the party."

  "Hmm, fight recklessly as a party?"

  "Huh?"

  "Nina’s going to train with Fabius. I think that sounds pretty good. Maybe we should do it too—go train as a party."

  Seneca’s eyes were shining brightly.

  "The royal forest was safe, so we didn’t need to rely on everyone’s strength. But when we go outside, we won’t know what will happen. We’ll need to combine our strengths. But is there a pce that’s retively safe where we can do that?"

  "I see. So it’s about strengthening the party safely."

  "Exactly."

  Maiol thought for a moment.

  "I was thinking about joining Nina, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Right now, rushing ahead alone would mean neglecting something important. So, I won’t leave the party. We’ll get stronger together!"

  "I understand."

  Seneca looked up towards the sky and spoke with a faraway look in her eyes.

  "I think that if we focus on strengthening the party, it will end up making me stronger in the end. I don’t know exactly what that looks like now, but when I look back ter, I’m sure I’ll feel it was the right choice to stay close to everyone."

  Seneca then took out her rge [Magic Needle] and began spinning it in a dance-like motion.

  "I am worried about myself, you know?

  I’m doing everything I can to keep up with you, Maiol, Gaia, and Prautia.

  That’s why I want to continue working together as a party.

  Because I know you all will get stronger so quickly, and I want to be there beside you."

  Maiol knew that Seneca’s needles were sharp and finely honed.

  "I want to grow stronger too."

  With that, Maiol drew her own sword and began her practice swings.